Fragments of a Life Most Ordinary
by KelliLeanne
Summary: What if Luke and Leia were both raised by Owen and Beru Lars? This sevenpart AU series of vignettes focuses on various moments of their daily lives as they grew up on Tatooine.
1. Chapter 1

Title: "Fragments of a Life Most Ordinary"  
Author: KelliLeanne  
Timeframe: Post ROTS AU  
Characters: Luke, Leia, Owen, and Beru  
Genre: Drama, Short Story, Series of Vignettes  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Lucas owns everything; I'm just playing with his creations. I promise I'll put them back where they belong when I'm finished.  
Summary: What if Luke and Leia were both raised by Owen and Beru Lars? This seven-part AU series focuses on various moments of their daily lives as they grew up on Tatooine.  
Note: This is unlike anything I've written, it's not one cohesive story, but it's a series of vignettes.

_**Chapter 1: **_

The Republic was dead; the great governing body that united trillions of beings over thousands of light years had fallen. It had not been conquered in a huge military campaign. There were not masses of brave citizens giving their lives in the noble final defense of their way of life.

Only in fantastic tales and youngling stories did great civilizations end in such a manner. Instead, the great Republic rotted from the inside out. No one knew when it had begun; but it was clear that it had begun to fall many generations ago. Despite the actions of a few brave souls, the end was almost inevitable. When it did come, the grand and mighty Republic ended with a whimper.

Democracy became a burden for generations who had known no other way of life; it became passé and was shuffled off as one would throw out last season's fashions.

The corruption in the government made things worse. Politicians gave promises and broke them almost immediately. No one expected any better; cynicism ruled the day.

Beings all over the Republic were tired of caring for a government that seemed to be above the laws that they were creating. When Palpatine offered to lead them to a new form of government, one not mired in corruption, the vast majority of the Republic blindly followed.

Their new ruler would take away the burden of democracy. The tough decisions would no longer be theirs to make. It would only be later, after their seemingly benevolent ruler dug his hooks into the lives of all, when it would be realized what they had brought upon themselves and their children.

But that day was far from coming, the new Empire was now in the throws of celebration.

In the vast blackness of space, a lone ship contained few of the only souls in the galaxy that knew what truly ruled the galaxy.

"To exile, we must go."

"What about the children, should we separate them to keep them from the Sith?" Obi-Wan Kenobi asked.

Master Yoda closed his eyes and searched the Force for an answer, "No, separate them, we should not. Grave injustice that would be."

The other Jedi was surprised, "I don't understand, what if Darth Sidious finds them?"

"Stronger together, they are."

Even though he had many misgivings about Yoda's decision, Obi-Wan accepted it, "All right, but one of us should watch over them, I will do that."

Yoda nodded in agreement, "To Tatooine you should take them, to their family."

Obi-Wan was again surprised by the decision, but could understand the logic behind it. Tatooine was far from the new Empire. While it was certainly not out of the Sith Lord's reach, it was no more or less dangerous than anywhere else.

He would not raise them himself but would not be far away from Anakin's twins should something happen. When the time came, he would train them to be Jedi. They were the only hope for the galaxy--the only hope to end the reign of the Sith.

Until then, Luke and Leia Skywalker would live a dull, tough, but very ordinary life on Tatooine with no knowledge of their part in the grand scheme of the Force--he almost envied them.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2:**_

Beru recalled how her mother used to go on about the "terrible twos." Any woman who gave birth to six children would know the phenomenon well. She loved to warn her daughter that normally sweet and calm babies would turn into terrors around the time they turned two years old.

For most of her life, Beru believed her mother had only engaged in hyperbole. For the last few months, the Tatooine housewife realized how wrong she was and how right her mother was.

Luke and Leia were excellent infants. Both twins were cheerful, curious, and loving. However, around the time of their second lifeday, their disposition changed. It was almost driving the young woman to distraction.

Still, Beru Lars deeply loved her niece and nephew and delighted in caring for them. She knew eventually this rough period would pass and she would have her darling babies back again.

Luke and Leia were a gift from the Maker himself; of that she was sure. Sometimes when she watched them sleep Beru could not help but tear up thinking about the twisted and broken path that brought these treasures into her and Owen's life.

The two children were similar in some ways; both very curious and intelligent. However, they were also wildly different in others. Their colorings were almost opposite of each other. Luke was fair haired with bright blue eyes and Leia's hair was dark with brown eyes. Sometimes it took Beru's breath away how much the girl resembled their grandmother Shmi.

Owen had not missed the resemblance. Sometimes Beru would catch him staring at the small girl with misty eyes.

Temperament wise, the twins were also different. Luke was much quieter than his sister. Leia had a powerful temper and had, on more than one occasion, let loose tantrums that would nearly shake the walls of the small hovel with her screaming.

Leia had just finished one such tantrum after refusing to lay down for her nap. It took much coaxing, but finally both twins were sound asleep.

As she prepared the family's evening meal, Beru was surprised to see her husband come into the hovel. "You're here early; is something wrong?"

Owen did not answer; instead he continued into the home and sat down at the kitchen table.

Frightened by what her husband's silence could mean, Beru immediately abandoned what she was doing and sat across from him. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I ran into Kenobi in Anchorhead."

Beru sighed; Ben Kenobi was not her husband's favorite person. "Someday you're going to have to get over whatever it is you have against him."

Ignoring his wife's gentle chiding, he continued, "He gave me some news."

Something in the even tone of Owen's voice frightened her. While his body was there, it appeared that his mind was light years away. "What news?"

"Luke and Leia's father is alive."

"Anakin's alive!" Ben had told them that Owen's stepbrother had been killed in the aftermath of the fall of the Republic. He never went into specifics, but she knew from his demeanor while talking about it that he had died horribly. "Ben said that..."

"Well, he was wrong!" He interrupted sharply. "He survived."

"There's more, isn't there?"

Owen nodded, "Oh yes, much more. I guess in the interest of full disclosure that wizard decided that he needed to finally tell us."

"Is Anakin looking for his children?" Beru asked hesitantly. She loved the twins more than anything and did not want to have them taken away.

"You'd better pray to that Maker of yours that he isn't."

Something about his tone sent shivers down her spine, "What is it?"

He sighed; it appeared to Beru that he did not even want to utter what he had learned. "Anakin Skywalker is now known as Darth Vader."

"What!" Beru did not know how to respond to something so preposterous. "I can't believe this."

"Trust me, I wish it wasn't true." Owen shook head in revulsion, "Kenobi knew what he had become, but didn't know that he had survived."

"When did he find out?"

"I don't know, I think it's been a while. He only now decided to tell us." The anger and betrayal was evident in her husband's voice.

"He must have had his reasons."

"Well he sure didn't tell me any of them!"

Beru lightly touched her husband's arm. "Owen, calm down, you'll wake the twins."

His anger seemed to dissipate somewhat. "What are we going to do?"

"I can't believe that Anakin and Darth Vader are the same. We met him, remember?"

Owen nodded, "Yes, do you also remember what he did to the sandpeople?"

Beru could not forget it. While she had not seen the aftermath of his attack and destruction of the entire Tusken camp, she remembered hearing her husband and father-in-law speak about it. Anakin had apparently killed every Tusken, even the children, with his lightsaber.

While no one grieved over the deaths of sandpeople, the community was shaken by the sheer brutality of the act. It did not seem like something a Jedi would do.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, Kenobi wouldn't tell me."

"Does he...does he know about Luke and Leia?" More than anything else, Beru feared the answer to that question.

"Kenobi doesn't think so; if he did, he would have come for them already."

"What do we do?" Beru asked again.

"I'll die before he touches them." Owen vowed. "They're our responsibility to protect, and that means protecting them from their father. He'll have to step over my dead body to get to them."

Beru reached out and grasped her husband's hand from across the table, "And mine too."

Owen sighed, "There's another thing, Kenobi wants them trained as Jedi when they're older."

"What!"

"He seems to think that they are the only ones who can restore peace to the galaxy, or some such nonsense." Owen got up and began to pace the small confines of the kitchen. "I told him what he could do with his Jedi training and that he wasn't getting near them!"

"What did he say?"

"Oh, he just continued on with it, saying that we can't deny them their destiny and I said, 'What destiny, to die just like the rest of the Jedi?'"

Beru began to cry softly. "He wants to train them to kill their own father?"

"Yeah, nice guy, isn't he?"

Beru ignored her husband's sarcasm, "What if he's right? What if they are the one who can bring down the Empire?" The thought was almost unbearable.

"I don't care; I'm not going to let him near them. Besides, the Empire is far from here."

Owen came over to his wife and pulled her into a tender embrace, "We'll be OK, Kenobi doesn't think he'll come back to Tatooine."

"It's just not fair; children should not have to bear this kind of burden."

"If I have anything to say about it, they never will."

"Owen, what are we going to tell them when they ask about their father?"

He paused to consider, "I don't know, navigator on a spice freighter? What do you think?"

"You want to lie to them?"

"Some lies are kind, Beru. Do you want to tell them that their father is a murderous machine that has the blood of countless thousands dripping from his gloved hands?"

Beru shook her head as tears continued to flow, "No, I don't."

_**To Be Continued...**_  



	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3:**_

Leia loved the dawn. Unlike her twin, who preferred the sunset, one of Leia's favorite activities was to rise early and watch the binary suns come to life over the parched desert.

Her aunt and uncle knew about Leia's habit; and had given the eight-year-old girl the job of powering up the homestead for the day and starting breakfast for the family.

After early morning chores, Leia came up out of the hovel to witness one of the most incredible sunrises that she had ever seen. She was nearly dumbfounded by the sight of it. The twin suns ruled the lives of all who called Tatooine home; those who refused to respect their power did not last long.

However, unlike most, Leia never saw the suns as harsh and vicious gods that lorded over the lives of all who toiled under them. She viewed them as the great levelers. Everyone on Tatooine--slave or free, moisture farmer or smuggler, were all equal under their powerful glare.

In the dawn, even the normally dreary Lars homestead did not seem as lifeless. The desert sands sparkled and in the distance, Leia could see the condensation that had formed on the moisture vaporators. She grinned in anticipation of what that sign indicated--mushrooms.

She immediately wanted to run to collect them. Her aunt's mushroom stew was her favorite meal. However, she had been forbidden to wander off alone by her uncle. Leia scoffed inwardly, he was always too overprotective with her. He let Luke do almost anything but treated her like she would break.

Leia was determined to show them that she was just as good as Luke and was not a baby. Besides, it was not like the vaporators were very far; and it was too early for anything dangerous to be out.

Taking one final glance at the homestead, Leia set out on her mission. Ignoring all internal warnings that what she was doing was dangerous, she quickly made her way to the first vaporator.

Nothing was there.

Disappointed, Leia went to the next one, it had a few good specimens that were perfect for Aunt Beru's stew. She was thrilled that she could finally help out, and be useful. She knew her caregivers would be so proud.

Vaporator after vaporator yielded a good crop and Leia quickly filled her bag. Looking up, she then noticed that she was very far from the homestead. She had never been this far away by herself.

She saw nothing but desert all around her; all the markings of the Lars Homestead were impossible to see. Leia realized in horror that she had no way of telling which direction was home.

Panic set in almost immediately. Growing up in the desert, she knew what happened to those that got lost in the sand. Leia's heart was gripped with fear as she tried to remember which direction she came from.

_I don't know! I wasn't paying attention!_

Tears began to stream down the girl's face as her throat became parched with thirst. While the Tatooine nights were cold and the early mornings were still fairly cool, the twin suns quickly turned the landscape into an oven.

Suddenly, Leia heard something near her. Relief flooded her for a moment until she realized that the sound did not come anything human. She heard a terrible wail that echoed throughout the area. The child panicked thinking that she was being attacked by a wild animal.

What happened next made her wish it was an animal.

Without warning, Leia was hit by a large stick; just hard enough to knock her to the ground. Crying with the sudden pain in her back, she looked up to see the most hideous creature standing over her.

It was a Tusken Raider.

Growing up in a moisture farmer household, Leia had heard of the sandpeople; but never seen them up close. When she asked what they were like, her uncle would only respond by saying that they were _"monstrous." _

She did not understand then, but Leia certainly understood now what he meant.

The next thing she knew, she was surrounded by four sandpeople and was picked up and dragged along by two of them. She screamed as loud as she could, but feared that no one could hear her.

Leia did not know where these creatures were taking her, but she understood that very bad things awaited her there.

As she was carried, another wail was heard; much different than the last one. Leia had never heard such a noise, but realized that whatever it was, it frightened her captors. She was released and fell on the sand as the Tuskens ran.

While Leia was happy to be away from the sandpeople, she knew she did not want to meet the thing that would terrify monsters.

Too exhausted and emotionally spent to run, the girl remained on the ground hoping that this new creature would not see her. She closed her eyes wishing that this was all a dream.

Suddenly, Leia felt a gentle hand on her arm. She opened her eyes to find the kind face of Ben Kenobi staring at her. The relief began a flood of fresh tears.

The desert hermit was known in the Lars household. Leia never remembered a time when she did not know the kindly man that lived near their homestead. She had seen him many times, usually in Anchorhead when they were in town to buy supplies. Despite her uncle's outright hostility toward him, Ben was always kind to them.

She flung her arms around him, "They were going to take me away. I couldn't run from them. I was lost and I didn't know where to go."

Ben held the hysterical girl for a few moments and allowed her to cry. "How did you get so far from your homestead?"

"Mushrooms, they were growing on the vaporators. I wanted to surprise Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen."

He wiped the girl's tears with the corner of his cloak, "I imagine you did surprise them, they must be frantic searching for you."

Leia lowered her head in shame, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to show them that I'm not a baby and can do things."

"I'm sure you did, but if I wasn't here…" Ben did not finish his thought, but Leia understood completely.

"I just wish I wasn't so little!"

The desert hermit grasped her hands and stared at her with an intensity that she had never seen from him, "Please Leia, don't try to grow up so fast. Relish the little time you have to be a child, it will be over much sooner than you think."

This was not the first time she had heard the same sentiment from other adults, but it always seemed to be given in jest. Ben's eyes were filled with anguish; as if he knew some horrible truth that he could not dare speak.

Leia suddenly wanted nothing more than to go home. "I have to get back."

Ben smiled and rose to his feet, "Yes, you should get back."

With little conversation, the two made their way back to the Lars Homestead. Leia was greeted immediately by the loud cry of her aunt.

Beru ran to the girl and enveloped her in a hug, "Leia! By the Maker, where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

Leia could see that her aunt had been crying, and she felt even more guilty. "I'm sorry."

"I'm just happy you're home. Your uncle and Luke are frantic."

More tears fell, "I got lost."

Beru once again embraced her niece, "Don't you do that again."

"I won't."

The sound of an approaching speeder was heard in the distance. Leia cringed inwardly knowing that she was about to receive an earful; but it was a small price to pay. She deserved much worse for putting them through this.

The speeder barely had time to stop when Owen jumped out and ran to the girl, "How long have you been back?"

"She just arrived, only moments ago," Beru interjected.

He knelt down on one knee until he was eye level with the girl, "What in blazes were you doing?"

"Mushrooms...I wanted to surprise everyone."

A look of horror crossed her uncle's face, "Mushrooms." He uttered the word as if it was a curse. His hands even began to shake slightly. "What was it that I told you? Do not leave the homestead!"

Leia had seen her uncle angry before, but never to this degree. He had never screamed at her like this. She knew that he would never hurt her, but the intensity of his emotions made her want to hide.

Ben, who had thus far kept his distance from the Lars family, stepped up, "She made a mistake; one that will never be repeated."

Owen stood to his full height. It was no secret that he did not like the desert hermit, but the anger in his eyes when her uncle stared him down was something new. "Get off my property! You know you are not allowed here."

Beru moved to stand between the two men, "Owen, he brought her home, we should be grateful."

Leia did not want to interject, but she felt that something needed to be said. It was not fair for her uncle to lash out against this nice man, "Uncle, he saved me. I was attacked."

Both of them were surprised, "What do you mean?"

"Sandpeople, they tried to..." The girl trailed off, not wanting to say the words for fear that talking about the creatures would make them return.

Sensing her fear, Luke, who had stayed quiet thus far, went over to his twin and put his arm around her as a gesture of comfort.

Beru began to weep even more, "What did they do?"

"They were attempting to take Leia back to their camp." Ben answered.

Owen muttered under his breath, "Shmi."

It was a name Leia had never heard before. She looked up at him and saw an odd expression on his face. He was angry, but his lip was also quivering slightly. In her eight years, the girl had never seen her uncle with tears in his eyes. It was very disconcerting.

Without another word, Owen went inside, leaving the rest of the family with Ben Kenobi. Beru turned to him, "Thank you so much for saving Leia."

He smiled and gave a formal bow, "It was my pleasure."

"I'm sorry about Owen, he's..." She trailed off.

"I know; I understand." Ben then turned his attention to the twins. "It's good to see you two again. I wish it were under better circumstances."

Leia did not know what to say. She felt very guilty for being the cause of such turmoil. She looked down to see the full bag of mushrooms that she was still holding; such a large price was paid for so little a prize.

That evening, Aunt Beru did make mushroom stew, but to Leia, it was tasteless. Her uncle only took two bites and refused to eat any more.

After dinner, Luke was sent to bed early. The girl knew that her punishment was coming; but was not dreading it. She felt she deserved it, and wanted to get it over with.

With Beru looking on, Owen began hesitantly, "Leia, we need to talk about what happened this morning."

"Yes Sir."

"You broke the rules."

Leia nodded, "I did."

"Tatooine is dangerous; that's why those rules were made." Owen sighed, "You saw what could have happened."

Remembering the monstrous sandpeople, tears came to Leia's eyes. "They were trying to kidnap me."

"They hate the settlers and delight in torturing any of them that they find," Owen stopped as anguish again crossed his features. "Especially females."

"I understand."

Her uncle shook his head, "No, you don't; and I hope with everything in me that you never will."

He then took a deep breath, "So, here's what's going to happen. Your aunt will have extra chores for you to do for the next week." He then looked over to Beru, "Also, let me make this clear, neither of you are to go hunting mushrooms ever again. If I see any on the vaporators, I'll get them myself."

The only time they could be picked was early morning and her uncle was never near the vaporators at that time. There would never be any more mushrooms on the table. Leia did not mind, she never wanted to eat another one again.

"Go to bed, you have a busy day tommorow."

Leia got up from the table and started toward her room; she then stopped and turned around. A question was still burning in her mind. "Uncle Owen, who is Shmi?"

"Someone we lost, long ago."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4:**_

"What's wrong?"

Luke rolled his eyes at his sister and continued to work on the vaporator. "Go away."

As usual, Leia ignored her brother's command, "You stormed off after lunch; Aunt Beru is worried about you."

"I'm fine."

This time it was his twin's turn to roll her eyes. "Luke, you are not the most difficult person to figure out. When you're upset, everyone knows it. You get all quiet and weird."

Luke stopped working and looked over to Leia, "At least I don't slam doors and throw things when I'm mad."

"I haven't done that in a long time!"

"A half of a season is not a long time."

Leia frowned, "Stop changing the subject. Why are you so mad?"

"I'm twelve; I don't have to tell everything."

She reached over and laid her hand on his arm, "It's about what Uncle Owen said during breakfast, isn't it?"

Knowing that she was not going to give up, Luke sighed and nodded, "Yes, I don't understand why he has to be that way."

"I don't understand why you keep asking him about our father; you know how it makes him."

Luke picked up the tool and began working on the vaporator again, "He talks about him like he was stupid for wanting to leave Tatooine."

"He just wants to protect us from something bad happening to us."

In a rare show of anger, Luke stood and threw the tool he was using down hard on the desert floor. "Why do you do that? Why do you always defend him?"

One thing that could always be said about Leia Skywalker was that she never backed down from an argument. Standing up to face her brother, she pointed in his face, "Someone has to! He's doing his best to keep food on the table while his ungrateful nephew's mind is light years away."

"Of course you would say that, he's always treated you like a princess."

Luke sighed when it was obvious that she would not back down. In twelve years, he had never won an argument with his sister; it was pointless to try now. "Don't you wish for something more than Tatooine?"

"I don't know, maybe someday; but this is our life, Luke."

"It wasn't our father's life, he left." Luke reminded his sister gently.

"He was a navigator on a spice freighter, that not hardly the good life."

"He was free and he was away from this blasted sand." To emphasize his point, Luke kicked his foot releasing millions of the tiny grains into the unrelenting desert wind.

Seeing her brother's distress, Leia softened, "Uncle Owen just doesn't want us to end up like he did."

Luke's response was cut off by the sound of heavy footfalls approaching them. The twins did not need to turn around to know who it was.

Leia smiled, "Hello Uncle Owen."

"Are you keeping your brother from doing his work?" Owen's voice was as gruff as usual.

"No, I was just on my way back."

"Good, your aunt needs you to help you start dinner."

"Yes Sir." Giving her brother one last look, Leia started toward the house.

Owen watched Leia until she was inside the family's hovel. He then began inspecting Luke's repair.

"It looks like you're nearly finished; very good work."

Luke nodded, "Thanks."

Praise from Owen was rare. The two rarely saw eye to eye on anything. Luke believed that his uncle was too focused on his vaporators to see that there might be anything other than this dreary planet, and Owen saw his nephew as nothing but a dreamer who spent more time wishing of the stars than keeping his mind on what he should be doing.

"I know you're upset at me."

Luke was surprised by the change of subject and more than a little uncomfortable. "I just wish you wouldn't say those things about my father."

"They need to be said; I don't want you running off and following in his footsteps."

"Uncle Owen, it's not like I want to go work for Jabba the Hutt when I get older and go in the spice smuggling business; but I want to leave this place like he did."

In Hutt territory, spice freighters were common. It was not exactly the most honorable work, but Luke believed that his father was so desperate to get off of Tatooine that he took the first job that could get him off-world.

"Anakin never should have left!"

Luke wanted to walk away from his uncle; he hated it the most when he was like this. "Why?"

"Things would be much better for a whole lot of people if he didn't."

"What do you mean by that?"

Owen shook his head, "Just trust me Luke, you don't want anything to do with your father's business."

"I could go to the Imperial Academy and learn to be a pilot." In his last visit to Mos Eisley, Luke had seen Imperial recruiters talking to the local boys. Owen would not let him get anywhere near them.

"Absolutely not!"

He did not understand this at all. He wondered if Owen expected him to stay on the homestead for the rest of his life. "Why not? It's not like it's anything my father did. He wasn't in the military."

For a moment, even in the bright desert sunshine, Luke swore that he saw his uncle's deeply tanned face go completely white.

When Owen spoke again, it was in a much more subdued tone. "When you're finished here, there's some work I need you to do in the shed."

Luke was not surprised by the sudden change in subject, it was normal when dealing with Owen. When a topic of conversation became too difficult to deal with, he would either yell and storm off or change the subject.

He nodded, "Yes Uncle."

"Good, I'll check on you later."

With that, Luke was left alone with nothing but a partially fixed piece of equipment and his thoughts.

_I will get off this planet, one way or the other. I have to get away from here._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5:**_

No one had ever referred to Anchorhead as a city. Even for Tatooine's low standards, the town was little more than a glorified trading post with a cantina. The only beings that came there were moisture farmers, jawas, and the occasional outlaw.

Despite its small size and lack of entertainment, for children growing up on isolated moisture farms, a supply trip to Anchorhead was always met with excitement. The Skywalker twins were no different.

It was early that morning when the entire family began their two hour journey on speeder to the town. Both Leia and Luke begged their aunt and uncle to let them explore the town on their own. Owen was very resistant to the idea, especially of letting Leia go around alone, but finally Beru convinced him to allow them some freedom. "They are fourteen," she argued.

With strict instructions to not step anywhere outside the tiny town's perimeter, the twins headed off in separate directions eager to find some adventure or excitement. However, after two hours of wandering, Leia still had not found much that interested her.

The only thing in Anchorhead today that was the least bit out of the ordinary was the sight of a Wookie traveling with a human companion. While the Wookie was an oddity, Leia was more interested in the man that was with him. He appeared fairly young, probably about twenty-two or twenty-three, and probably not the most law abiding sort. Her aunt, had she seen him, would have called him a scoundrel. Still, the teenage girl could not help but be mildly smitten.

After the pair went into the cantina, Leia focused her mind on other things. She was about to return to her aunt and uncle to see if they needed help with the supplies, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hello Leia."

She knew exactly who it was; there was no one else on Tatooine who spoke in such a cultured manner. Leia turned around and smiled, "Ben! What are you doing here?"

"I need supplies as well," he reminded her. "How have you been? What has it been, a year since I last saw you?"

"Yes, sorry about Uncle Owen. He shouldn't have yelled at you like that." Time had not lessened the enmity that her uncle had for the older man. The last time she saw him was the year before in Tosche Station. Owen had accused Ben of following them around. Leia had to admit that he sometime seemed to be at the same places that they were, but he had never given any indication that he was dangerous.

The older man laughed slightly, "I've faced far worse than a Tatooine moisture farmer."

The girl's curiosity was peaked; this was the most that Ben had ever said about his past. "You have? What have you faced?"

His smile disappeared, "That was a lifetime ago."

"You know half of Tatooine thinks that you used to be some kind of assassin or bounty hunter. That's why you had to come here." Speculating about Ben Kenobi's life before Tatooine was a local pastime.

"Assassin or a bounty hunter? That's interesting."

"Is it true?"

"What do you think?"

Leia thought for a moment, "I don't think it's true. You don't seem like a bounty hunter."

"Or an assassin?" He added playfully.

She shook her head, "No."

"Always listen to your instincts young Skywalker." Again, the seriousness returned. "They will never fail you."

"I will," she promised, not entirely certain of what he meant. There was much about Ben that was mysterious.

The two began to walk together down the dusty street. "So, how is Luke?"

"Fine."

"Where is he?"

Leia rolled her eyes, "Probably staring at the ships. He thinks he's a pilot now."

"Does he?"

Leia shrugged, "He's pretty good, I'll give him that. Although he nearly killed himself in Beggar's Canyon a few months back, then Uncle Owen nearly killed him after he found out." Leia shook her head with disapproval, "Ever since he found out our father was a pilot, he's been obsessed with becoming one."

Ben frowned, "Really? Your uncle has told you about your father?"

"Not much, he doesn't like talking about him; I think there was some bad blood between them."

"Hmm."

Leia stopped and turned to the older man, "What do you know?"

"Why do ask that?"

"Well, you just told me to always trust my instincts."

"And your instincts are telling you that I know something about your father." Ben finished with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, they are.

Ben paused for a moment, to Leia, it appeared as if he was in the middle of an internal struggle. Finally, he answered, "I did know your father."

For some reason, Leia was not surprised by this revelation. She had many questions about her origins, but the same odd sense that told her that Ben was somehow connected to her father also told her that the desert hermit would not answer all of those questions.

Still, Leia could not help but ask the one question that had tormented the girl as long as she could remember. "Ben, did our parents...want us?"

"What do you mean?"

For the first time in her life, Leia had a chance to voice the fear that had been with her since she was a small child. "I always wondered if they sent us to the homestead because they didn't want to take care of us." As her emotional turmoil increased, her voice became frantic. "I know that Uncle Owen said that our father was dead, but he always seemed like he knew much more than he was telling. Maybe he's not really dead, maybe he just doesn't want us around."

Ben placed his hand on her shoulder, "Leia, slow down."

Her tears were now flowing freely, "I don't even know anything about my mother. Did she want us? Were we too much of a burden for her? Did we cramp her style and that's why she abandoned us?"

When she stopped, Ben placed his hands over hers and looked directly into her tear filled eyes. "Listen to me, there is much I cannot tell you. But rest assured, both of your parents loved you and Luke very much. They would have gladly raised you had they been able. You were very much wanted. Don't you ever think otherwise!"

A sense of relief flooded the girl. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled, "Thank you."

Leia then realized it was getting late, "I have to go, my aunt will be looking for me."

Ben smiled, "Give Luke my best."

"I will, goodbye."

"Until we meet again…very soon."

**_To Be Continued..._**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6:**_

"Are you paying attention?"

Luke turned his head toward his annoyed sister. "What? Oh yeah, the vaporator..."

"We have to finish this before dark."

Luke rolled his eyes, "Yes Mother." He was not in the mood for this today. It was bad enough having to fix yet another vaporator, but doing it with his increasingly shrill sister was almost more than he could bear. Leia had always been bossy but lately she was getting even worse than normal. He was sick to death of it.

"Stop it."

"Stop nagging then, I get enough of that from Uncle Owen."

She glared at him, "If we don't get this done, we'll be grounded."

"No," he sighed, "If we don't get this done, he'll blame me and I'll be the only one grounded." In their sixteen years, Luke could barely count on one hand the number of times he remembered his uncle punishing Leia for anything.

"Which, in this case, will be right," Said Leia. "It's because of you that we're not finished."

Seething, he gripped his wrench even tighter and began roughly re-assembling the machinery. "Fine!"

The twins were silent for several minutes, and even though he refused to look at her, Luke could feel his sister's eyes on him. Finally, she broke the silence. "You're still mad at me from yesterday."

With those words, Luke felt something nearly snap inside him. There were a few times in his life, usually when having an argument with his uncle, when he would feel something well up inside of him--something dark, frightening, but strangely familiar. Because of that, he tried to avoid getting angry at all cost; but he was nearly at his limits.

"Leave it alone, Leia," He warned.

His twin sister was never one to back down, "I was right."

All of Luke's previous control immediately evaporated; he threw the wrench as hard as he could across the workshed. He then stood to tower over his seated twin. "You told Uncle Owen that I was talking to an Imperial recruiter! Did you think I would be happy?"

For a moment, he could see something strange in the girl's eyes. It was shock at his outburst, of course, but for a second he saw true fear. Finally, the moment was over and she stood to face him. Leia Skywalker never backed down from a fight. With an accusing finger in his face, she shouted0 back. "Stop yelling at me!"

Before she had a chance to continue what would most likely become a long tirade, Luke swatted her finger out of his face. "No, I'm sick and tired of you trying to run my life. It's bad enough I get it from Uncle Owen, but you're my sister!"

Leia appeared shocked at Luke's physical outburst. Still, she refused to let anything stop her. "Don't you ever touch me again! I was trying to help you, and this is the thanks I get!"

Luke wanted to say more--much more; but seeing his sister's own anger made him realize what he was doing. He had seen Leia's temper many times, and he had known for a long time that whatever comes over him when he was angry was much worse with her.

In defeat, Luke sunk down on the repair bench and put his head in his hands. He wanted nothing more than this conversation to be finished. "Get out of here."

Instead of leaving, Leia sat down next to him. With her own anger released, she put her arm around him. "Please, I just wanted to save you."

"Save me from what, getting away from sand?" No matter how much he tried, he could never convince Leia or his uncle that he was made for much more than the life of a moisture farmer. His aunt was always sympathetic, but it was his uncle that he would need to convince to let him go. It did not help matters that his own sister was almost in constant collusion with Owen in these matters.

Leia sighed, "I'm saving you from joining the Empire."

"You only want to keep me here, just like Uncle Owen. You two probably sit around and think of ways to ruin my life."

"Luke, I've heard things...really bad things about the Empire."

He looked up and turned to face his sister, "We've all heard that stuff, I'm sure some of that stuff is true, but I think most of it is just rumor. I don't want to be one of the higher-ups who make decisions, I just want to fly. The Imperial Flight Academy is the best in the galaxy."

Luke had heard many things in his life against the Empire. He was no apologist for them, and he certainly did not care about the politics surrounding them; but he wanted to fly more than anything. I had been his dream for so long, and now it was finally in his grasp.

"I don't want to lose you," Leia whispered.

"You won't lose me. We can write each other, and I'll come back to Tatooine on leave." Despite Leia's nagging and bossiness, he did love her very much. He knew his life would be incomplete without her.

"That's what Elan said, before he was killed."

Luke sighed, "It was an accident; he fell down one of maintenance shaft. We all know that."

Elan Gerant was the son of one of the moisture farmers in the area. Leia had crush on him for most of her teenage years, but him being three years older than she made any kind of courtship an impossibility--much to her dislike. Her uncle had forbid it.

One year ago, Elan enlisted in the Imperial military and trained as a stormtrooper. He was only one month into his first assignment when his body was returned to Tatooine.

"That was the official report, but it was a lie." The official explanation was that the death was accidental, but Leia had never believed it.

"Why are you being so paranoid?"

Leia looked down to the floor for a few moments and then quietly answered. "Because you didn't receive communications from him, I did."

"Elan was writing you?" This was the first time he had ever known Leia to so openly disobey their aunt and uncle. If Elan was not already dead, Owen would have killed him.

She then glared at Luke, "Yes, if you tell Uncle Owen, I'll tie you to a vaporator and leave you to the sandpeople!"

Despite the seriousness, it was all Luke could do to not chuckle at his sister. Finally, he regained his composure before Leia could make good on her threat. "What did he say in his comms?"

"He wrote me all during his basic training, and for the first few weeks of his assignment...to Vader's ship."

Luke's eyes widened in surprise. "He was on Darth Vader's flagship?" Like almost everyone in the galaxy, he was well aware of the mysterious figure that commanded the Imperial forces.

Leia frowned, "Yeah, Elan was terrified of him...all of the men on board was. He said that he couldn't say much because they might be reading his personal comms; but what he did say was scary."

"What did he say?"

"He said that if Vader wasn't happy with someone, they were sometimes never seen again."

"You think he killed them?" Luke asked. This was not the first time that he had heard about Vader's ruthlessness, but he was never sure that those stories were true.

Leia nodded, "Elan thought so...he was afraid that he wasn't good enough. Then he was killed."

"The report of his death said it was an accident, " Luke gently reminded her.

"Every thing that is in me is telling me that it wasn't."

"Leia..."

She stood and began pacing the small confines of the work shed. "Please listen, I overheard one of the Darklighters talking after Elan's funeral. He saw his body and said that it looked like he'd been strangled; there were bruises around his throat."

Luke shook his head, "Even if this is true, what does it have to do with me?"

Leia threw up her hands in frustration, "I don't want you to join the Empire; I don't want you to end up like Elan."

"I want to be a pilot, not a stormtrooper."

She was silent for a few moments, before she tried another tactic. "Luke, have you ever seen Vader?"

"I've seen a few holos...from a distance."

"I have seen a holo up close, when we were last in Mos Espa," Leia began. "I was in one of the trading centers waiting for the droids to finish with that big fabric order that Aunt Beru wanted, they had a transmitter showing HoloNet news...I saw Vader."

"You were scared of him?" If Leia was known for anything in the Lars household, she was known for her fearlessness. Luke could not imagine her being frightened by anything, least of all a man in a mask.

"There's something about him...something really odd and terrifying. I wanted to shut it off, but I couldn't move. I just stood there and watched it."

"Leia, it's just a mask."

"It's much more than that!" Leia shouted. "Something is wrong with him...very wrong." She then took a deep breath, "Ben told me once to trust my instincts, and that's what I'm doing."

Luke knew that he was beaten, he would not win this argument today. "I just want to leave here; I can't stand being on this planet. I want to see something besides sand."

She again sat down next to him and put her arm around him again. "Just promise me that you'll think about what I said before you run off and do something stupid."

He nodded, "I will...I promise."

"Thank you."

**_To Be Continued... _**


End file.
